10 Tips For Living A Healthier Lifestyle

I have been interested in health & fitness for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I preferred to be outside running around rather than inside. As I got older I joined sports teams and even ended up playing volleyball in college. This lead me to working toward a Master’s in Sports Management. While in grad school I worked at health food stores and as a personal trainer. A few years later I got a job as an assistant college volleyball coach and not long after was promoted to head coach.

Even though I have a solid background in health and fitness, now as a parent I am even more interested in it, especially in terms of families. I want to make sure Kora & Logan grow up learning how to make healthy and active choices. While I’m all for sweets, treats, and lazy days every now and then, it’s important to me that I give the kids a healthy foundation and teach them skills to lead healthy lives.

We all enjoy being outside and Dave and I enjoy showing the kids how being active can be fun. We love going to the beach, swimming, standup paddleboarding, biking, playing basketball, walking, and more.

It’s a great opportunity to get free health screenings, health insurance information, product demonstrations, and gift bags all at Walmart.

I’m also excited about the hashtag #Just10 on social media for inspiration. #Just10 is the idea that just 10 minutes can make your life healthier. When starting out, instead of setting health goals that require a lot of time, effort, and willpower – focus on what you can do in just 10 minutes. Walmart wants to help you make your life healthier in just 10 minutes.

America’s Biggest Health Fair at Walmart and the #Just10 hashtag has inspired me to share my 10 tried and true tips for living a healthier lifestyle:

Get Enough Sleep– On a blog named 2 Wired 2 Tired you wouldn’t think that would be my first tip, would you? :) Honestly though when you get enough sleep you are able to make healthier choices. You aren’t so tired that you just drive through the nearest fast food restaurant rather than making dinner, you have energy to get that work out in, and you are able to handle stress better. All of these things are important to a healthy lifestyle and when you are able to get enough sleep other pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place.

Drink Water – I admit I’m a huge fan of iced coffee and drink my fair share. Though I do know the importance of drinking enough water. Once you start upping your water intake you may notice your constant headache fading, your skin feels and looks better, and you aren’t always so hungry. It only takes drinking a few extra glasses of water to your daily routine to notice the difference – something that can easily be done in #Just10 minutes.

Visit Your Local Farmer’s Market– Before the weather gets too chilly, head out to your local farmer’s market to pick up fresh fruits and veggies. Not only is it easier to make healthy choices at home when you have healthy items to choose from but you’ll find yourself eager to eat the produce you purchased since you went out of your way to get it and you’ll find the vibrant fresh colors and scents enticing. On top of that they will be flavorful on their own and in dishes you make.

Go For A Walk – Following the #Just10 hashtag inspiration, start out your new healthy lifestyle by simply taking a 10 minutes walk. Instead of setting a lofty goal of walking for an hour or even running for a certain time, take 10 minute to walk around the neighborhood either at work or at home and enjoy that time for yourself. Commit to making that time relaxing, don’t allow yourself to think about anything stressful or daunting, simply enjoy yourself and those 10 minutes. By following this plan for a week or two you’ll find that you’ll start looking forward to the walks and may want to add on more time.

Eat Breakfast– This is an oldie but a goodie. Don’t leave home in the morning without a good breakfast. Honestly I find this one tough. I’m not a morning person and I’m almost never hungry when I get up but I still do because I know it’s a wise choice and serves me well throughout the day. Studies have shown that if you eat a good breakfast you’ll make healthier choices throughout the day and will be less hungry at the end of the day.

Play Outside With Your Kids – This tip may be my favorite and it’s the easiest one to start doing. Using the #Just10 hashtag inspiration, commit to taking 10 minutes to play outside every day with your kids. Playing outside gets everyone moving on top of that it not only encourages your kids to be active but it creates lasting family memories as well. Play tag, ride bikes, kick a soccer ball around, play kickball, have jump rope contests…there’s so many fun activities to do outside with your kids that it’s easy to pick a different one every day and an easy way to combine starting a healthy lifestyle with good old fashioned family fun.

Speaking Of Playing Outside… – Raking leaves, mowing the lawn, mulching the garden, etc. are all wonderful calorie burners and ways to get active. Instead of hiring a landscaping crew to take care of your yard, start doing it yourself. Get the kids to help and you’ll be amazed at the family fun you can have (remember jumping in leaf piles as a kid?). Sure it’s not as fun as simply playing but it’s all in your outlook. There’s nothing like hard work to get your mind off any stress you may be dealing with, to help you get a good night’s sleep, and to make you proud of your house and yard.

Take An Active Vacation– On your next vacation instead of lounging by the pool for the week, pick a destination where you can be active and make healthy choices. It may not sound as fun upfront, but there are many health resorts that you can stay at that have fantastic menus full of healthy foods and every activity you can imagine. If a health resort isn’t your thing, look into what activities are available in the area you are staying. If you are near the beach, you can swim, jet ski, play beach volleyball, go for walks or jog in the sand, and more. If you are in the mountains you can hike, bike, canoe, and more. There are all kinds of opportunities to be active when on vacation and these activities can be fun for the whole family as well.

Menu Plan– It’s dinnertime, what are you having? Are you someone who stands in the kitchen 15 minutes before it’s time to eat trying to cobble something together from what is in your pantry and fridge? Honestly I find myself doing this far too often and I know other busy parents fall into this trap as well. If you can set aside a couple of minutes one day a week to do some menu planning you’ll find that as dinner approaches each day you’ll have a game plan for making healthy meals.

Start With Sit-Ups or Push-Ups – If it’s too cold out to go for a walk start doing bodyweight exercises at home. Using the #Just10 hashtag for inspiration, take 10 minutes and do a few sit-ups, push-ups, and even stretches. You’ll find that 10 minutes goes by pretty quickly, is manageable, and easy to fit into even the busiest schedule. As time goes by you may find you want to add more exercises and maybe even follow an exercise DVD or possibly join a gym.

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Welcome to 2 Wired 2 Tired! I'm Tesa, a lifestyle blogger, freelance writer, and mom of 2 from Michigan. I enjoy sharing the best in family tech, travel, food, and fun.
When my kids were young my husband and I used to joke that they were too wired and we were too tired! I remember that feeling and that's why I created a space where I've done all the research for you and I'm excited to save families time by sharing the best apps, STEM ideas, gadgets, tech tips, destinations, vacations, recipes, and more all in one place.
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